• 13 percent of high school and college students are interested in a career in
agriculture.
• Fewer than one in five (19 percent) high school and college students feel
they understand agriculture career opportunities.
• In an effort to raise awareness of job prospects in agriculture, the
America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders program will award more than $500,000 in
scholarships in 2017 to students across the country.

While agriculture has become a hot sector for job growth (USDA EmploymentOpportunities Report, 2015), a just-released survey shows only 13 percent of
high school and college students are interested in pursuing a career in the agriculture
industry – and just three percent can identify it as one of the best fields for
college graduates.

The survey, sponsored by America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders, a Monsanto Fund
program, was conducted in November, a time when many high school students are
completing college applications in advance of January 1, 2017, deadlines and as
future college graduates are applying for jobs.

Fewer than one in five (19 percent) surveyed indicated that they understood the
broad array of career opportunities in agriculture.

In fact, the agriculture space is experiencing job growth. According to the
USDA, 57,900 high-skilled jobs are created annually in food, agriculture,
renewable natural resources and environmental fields in the United States.

The survey identified several misconceptions that contributed to the findings.
For example, only 35 percent of high school and college students believed
careers in agriculture were technology-driven.

“One of the program’s goals is to support future agriculture leaders by helping
them to understand the wide array of opportunities in agriculture, from
business and communications to science, technology and many other fields,” said
Al Mitchell, Monsanto Fund president.

“For example, whether you visit a family farm or a corporate operation, you
will see growers utilising technology in exciting ways many students may be
unaware of, such as global-positioning systems, state-of-the-art soil quality
tools and weather forecasting devices to maximise every square-inch of land. But
technology-related jobs are just one avenue that students can pursue with
careers in agriculture.”

Erickson Research collected data from a total of 1,000 respondents and analysed
the results.

When asked to share their interest in working in various industries, 45 percent
of respondents were “extremely or very interested” in a career in technology,
followed by 40 percent exhibiting the same level interest for a career in
arts/entertainment, 35 percent for a career in healthcare, and just 13 percent
for a career in agriculture.

To raise awareness of the job prospects in agriculture, the Monsanto Fund
supports the America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders program, which will award more
than $500,000 dollars in scholarships to students across the country in 2017.

The scholarships are open to students in eligible counties who are looking to
enroll or are enrolled in trade schools, community colleges and four-year
universities.

Scholarships are awarded in $1,500 increments to students pursuing an education
in an ag-related field of study.

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